Players

The player-coach relationship puts teams in a position to win. I want my players confident, loose, and prepared to play with intensity.

By using players’ individual strengths to benefit the team, we all enjoy the benefits and understanding that we are part of something special.

Coaches directly impact the overall accomplishments of the team through player-personal evaluation, recruitment, and development. To get the best out of my team, I must first understand individual player needs.

Make no doubt about it, I have my own system and beliefs, however, my system is flexible, and adjustable when needed. When players believe, success follows. It’s my job to instill confidence and mutual respect, while implementing the system of basketball values.

PLAYER GALLERY

Coach E on Maurice Hargrow

Maurice Hargrow is currently in his second season with Coach E and Qatar Sports Club.“Mo is truly a blessing as a player and a person. He is without a doubt, the most talented player in the Qatar League for the second straight season. Mo has outstanding playmaking abilities and excels in my system. His ability to lead and manage his own game within the concepts of the team is priceless. He has proven himself by his work ethic, mental toughness, and superior athleticism. In my opinion, there are NBA teams that need to invest in Mo and his abilities. I will enjoy my time with Mo now, since his next call is likely to come from a team in the NBA. When given that opportunity, Mo will make the best of it.”

Coach E on Gaston Moliva:

“Gaston Moliva signed with me at Qatar Sports Club this 2009 season and had a super rookie season. After Graduating from the University of Richmond - Virginia last year, he deserves and earned the right to be playing professional basketball. He is an outstanding player inside and out and he has the strength and agility to control the paint offensively and defensively. He consistently recorded double-doubles and his performances this year led us back to the Finals of both prestigious cups here in Qatar. He has a very bright future ahead of him as a professional basketball player.”

Coach E on Chudney Gray

“Chudney will always be special to me because we won the GCC Championships in Bahrain together and followed that up with a Bronze Medal in the Asian Club Championships in Tehran, Iran. He is a veteran winner and extremely tough and will always be successful, particularly in the most hostile and pressure situations. Chud should always have the ball in his hands when the game is on the line. He can fill up a stat sheet and dominate both sides of the ball with his playmaking ability. Our time together was far too short but very successful. I can only hope to have Chudney on my next roster”

Coach E refers to him as “Beast” aka, Nkeruwem Akpan.

“Beast signed with me and Qatar Sports Club for the post season playoffs of the Qatar Basketball League in 2008. Naturally, he became a force controlling the boards and the paint on the defensive end. However, Beast was the most essential part of our team qualifying for the finals of two prestigious Cups. He was the ultimate team warrior bringing a vast amount of knowledge, hard work, and unselfishness. Beast implemented the team goals and executed offensive and defensive strategies with a determined winning attitude every day. His experience and toughness as a multi-sport athlete propelled him through the everyday grind of playing basketball in the confines of the Persian Gulf Region. If you know basketball, you will know how valuable he is to the success of a winning team.”

Coach E on Jerry Holman

“I signed Jerry on a short-term contract for the 2008 Arab Championships in Amman, Jordan. Jerry, another Midwest connection, won a National Championship playing for a friend of mine, Jay Pivic, at Minneapolis Community and Technical College. Jerry was also reunited with former University of Minnesota teammate, Maurice Hargrow on this trip. Jerry is a legit big man of the game, after his time with the Atlanta Hawks and the Los Angeles Clippers; he has been playing around the world and brought a lot of experience and domination of the game to our club. I look forward to having another opportunity to have Jerry in my line-up in the future.”

Coach E on AJ

“AJ joined my Qatar team and started every game in the entire 2007-2008 season. He defines the cliché that a point guard is the extension of the head coach. AJ was and likely will remain the quickest player that I will ever coach. In his first job as a professional, he was eager to learn and extremely coachable developing him in to a proven and consistent threat with and without the ball. AJ is an exceptional person, an outstanding talent of basketball, which illustrates that great things do come in small packages. The future is bright for him as he continues to progress through the open doors of the Toronto Raptors and the Canadian National Basketball Team.”

Coach E on Daoud-Daoud

“D” is the best kept secret in the world of basketball, and he is right here in Qatar. It just goes to show you that there is incredible basketball talent all around the world. He is God’s gift of talent, expression, and superior competition. Words really cannot describe the level of respect and admiration I have for D as a basketball player and as a human being. Beyond basketball, and he is the best at that, D truly is special in each and every category of life. D is a once-in-a-lifetime-talent that coaches dream about, and he is on my team, he is my team.”

Coach E on Yaseen

“Yaseen and I met as players on the court during a training camp in the States. At that time, he was the reigning dunk champion of Asia and trying out for the Dallas Mavericks. The mutual respect continued through opportunities as his coach and now coaching against him. He is a decorated veteran with remarkable success throughout Asia. As a player, he is a game changer because of his athletic versatility and ability to play and defend all positions on the floor. I have watched, listened, and worked with him as a superstar talent on and off the court. I can truly say that because of him, I have taken my coaching ability to the next level.”